OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post

BradC · 05-08-2013, 01:45 PM

The OOTP Grand Championship League (GCL) regular season has come to a close, and MLB Pro concluded its wire-to-wire dominance of the Heinsohn Division with a league best 70-30 record, 18 games ahead of second place VBL, which didn’t make the playoffs. The GCL’s two worst teams, BCB and World Baseball Hierarchy, occupied the bottom of the Heinsohn Division, 41 and 43 games, respectively, behind MLB Pro.

“In the final weeks, we tried optimizing our lineup in order to get as much production as possible,” said MLB Pro GM Dave Lockar. “We believe we succeeded in this, as our offensive numbers increased the way we were hoping.”

However, Lockar realized that a dominant regular season means little once the playoffs start. “The playoffs can be won by any team,” he said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we lose in the first round, as we’ve played some sloppy baseball as of late. Couple that with how well Play at the Plate is playing, and it doesn’t add up well for us. Some smart baseball, and a bit of luck, we may be able to make a run.”

Play at the Plate finished fourth in the Raht Division and drew MLB Pro as its first round opponent, since its record was the worst of the playoff teams. “I went on a 15-3 run in July to make the playoffs with a 58-42 record, and now I am rewarded with getting to face the Goliath MLB Pro (70-30) team,” Play at the Plate GM Scott Sherry said. “With no Davids on the team, we will still do our best to slay the beast.”

Sherry saw a glimmer of hope, however: “We played four close games against them in the regular season, going 1-3. Heck, we beat them the last time we played them, winning 4-1 in 13 innings.”

ULB won the Raht Division with a 64-36 record, two games ahead of BML. ULB GM Scott Jeffries commented: “My plan for the playoffs is the same as my plan for the season: put my best squad out there. I drafted my team with a purpose, frequently oriented around platoons, and I did not make changes as the season went on. We stumbled out of the gate and for a while it looked like a lost cause, but I was confident in the players we had and stuck with them. The team came together, caught up and never looked back. I see no reason to alter course now. The only difference will be a shorter rotation.”

He added: “If there’s one change I wish I’d made, it would have been juggling my rotation for the final sim when we clinched the playoffs so my ace Jim Barker would be rested for game 1. As it is, he won’t be available until the 3rd game, so I’m going to need a couple big starts from my #2 and #3 guys.”

Over in the Palkowski Division, Federal International won three of its final four games of the season to pull out a one-game lead over WWBL, which split its final four. The two teams will face each other in the first round of the playoffs.

“I had to make very few moves to get my team ready for the playoffs outside of my rotation,” said Federal International GM Caleb Henstein. “Like it is always said, if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.”

He added: “Despite a poor last month of the season, I have confidence that my team has as good of a shot as any to go all the way. My hitting has been great (4th in Runs Scored), and my starting pitching has been great (4th in ERA), but my bullpen has been my one Achilles Heel. My bullpen’s performance may very well decide how far I go into the playoffs.”

The other two first-round match-ups involve PEBA squaring off against ULB while BML takes on Asahi2, which won the Cook Division by two games over Seamheads Laundry League, whose 55-45 record left them out of the playoffs. Four of the playoff teams came from the ULB-led Raht Division.

Despite MLB Pro’s dominance and its high league rankings in pitching and hitting, the team didn’t dominate the top of every stat chart. Asahi 2′s Teodoro Fuentes led the league with a .352 batting average while Afzal Siddiqui of WWBL racked up the most RBIs with 87. Seamheads Laundry League’s Howard Hanson posted a 2.03 ERA, the best in the league.

MLB Pro saw Pancho Pineda lead the league with 28 home runs, while starter Miguel Angel Venegas tied with ULB’s Jim Barker and WWBL’s Angelo Valentin at the top of the wins chart with 14. Venegas was 14-2 during the season.

Who will emerge victorious after three rounds of GCL playoff action? Stay tuned.

05-08-2013, 01:45 PM	#6
BradC All Star Starter Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: northern CA Posts: 1,885	OOTP GCL Playoff Preview The OOTP Grand Championship League (GCL) regular season has come to a close, and MLB Pro concluded its wire-to-wire dominance of the Heinsohn Division with a league best 70-30 record, 18 games ahead of second place VBL, which didn’t make the playoffs. The GCL’s two worst teams, BCB and World Baseball Hierarchy, occupied the bottom of the Heinsohn Division, 41 and 43 games, respectively, behind MLB Pro. “In the final weeks, we tried optimizing our lineup in order to get as much production as possible,” said MLB Pro GM Dave Lockar. “We believe we succeeded in this, as our offensive numbers increased the way we were hoping.” However, Lockar realized that a dominant regular season means little once the playoffs start. “The playoffs can be won by any team,” he said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we lose in the first round, as we’ve played some sloppy baseball as of late. Couple that with how well Play at the Plate is playing, and it doesn’t add up well for us. Some smart baseball, and a bit of luck, we may be able to make a run.” Play at the Plate finished fourth in the Raht Division and drew MLB Pro as its first round opponent, since its record was the worst of the playoff teams. “I went on a 15-3 run in July to make the playoffs with a 58-42 record, and now I am rewarded with getting to face the Goliath MLB Pro (70-30) team,” Play at the Plate GM Scott Sherry said. “With no Davids on the team, we will still do our best to slay the beast.” Sherry saw a glimmer of hope, however: “We played four close games against them in the regular season, going 1-3. Heck, we beat them the last time we played them, winning 4-1 in 13 innings.” ULB won the Raht Division with a 64-36 record, two games ahead of BML. ULB GM Scott Jeffries commented: “My plan for the playoffs is the same as my plan for the season: put my best squad out there. I drafted my team with a purpose, frequently oriented around platoons, and I did not make changes as the season went on. We stumbled out of the gate and for a while it looked like a lost cause, but I was confident in the players we had and stuck with them. The team came together, caught up and never looked back. I see no reason to alter course now. The only difference will be a shorter rotation.” He added: “If there’s one change I wish I’d made, it would have been juggling my rotation for the final sim when we clinched the playoffs so my ace Jim Barker would be rested for game 1. As it is, he won’t be available until the 3rd game, so I’m going to need a couple big starts from my #2 and #3 guys.” Over in the Palkowski Division, Federal International won three of its final four games of the season to pull out a one-game lead over WWBL, which split its final four. The two teams will face each other in the first round of the playoffs. “I had to make very few moves to get my team ready for the playoffs outside of my rotation,” said Federal International GM Caleb Henstein. “Like it is always said, if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.” He added: “Despite a poor last month of the season, I have confidence that my team has as good of a shot as any to go all the way. My hitting has been great (4th in Runs Scored), and my starting pitching has been great (4th in ERA), but my bullpen has been my one Achilles Heel. My bullpen’s performance may very well decide how far I go into the playoffs.” The other two first-round match-ups involve PEBA squaring off against ULB while BML takes on Asahi2, which won the Cook Division by two games over Seamheads Laundry League, whose 55-45 record left them out of the playoffs. Four of the playoff teams came from the ULB-led Raht Division. Despite MLB Pro’s dominance and its high league rankings in pitching and hitting, the team didn’t dominate the top of every stat chart. Asahi 2′s Teodoro Fuentes led the league with a .352 batting average while Afzal Siddiqui of WWBL racked up the most RBIs with 87. Seamheads Laundry League’s Howard Hanson posted a 2.03 ERA, the best in the league. MLB Pro saw Pancho Pineda lead the league with 28 home runs, while starter Miguel Angel Venegas tied with ULB’s Jim Barker and WWBL’s Angelo Valentin at the top of the wins chart with 14. Venegas was 14-2 during the season. Who will emerge victorious after three rounds of GCL playoff action? Stay tuned.